Breaking, unconfirmed: 3 Arabs detained on Williamsburg Bridge; bridge closed

WABC radio - NYC/FOX NEWS | 3/28/03 | self

[shhrubbery!]

WABC radio is reporting three persons of "Arabic descent" have been detained after leaving suspicious item on Williamsburg Bridge.

This bridge is one of the main routes into Manhattan from Brooklyn.

[Afronaut]

Let me guess, when they tell you to go shopping, you go.

[LurkedLongEnough]

Traffic is moving on the webcam: http://nyctmc.org/Xview_still.asp?cam_id=43&server=RS1&address=WBB+Brooklyn+Entrance

[tallhappy]

The Associated Press State & Local Wire

The materials in the AP file were compiled by The Associated Press. These materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The Associated Press.

March 28, 2003, Friday, BC cycle

9:45 AM Eastern Time

SECTION: State and Regional

LENGTH: 103 words

HEADLINE: NYC police close bridge, question three men; alcohol may be involved, officers say

DATELINE: NEW YORK

BODY:
Police closed a bridge linking Manhattan and Brooklyn on Friday morning after reports of suspicious activity. At least three people were in custody, and authorities were investigating whether alcohol was a factor in the incident.

Two men from Massachusetts and a third from Rhode Island were being questioned at a nearby stationhouse, police said.

The bridge was closed in both directions around 8:30 a.m., backing up traffic on both sides.

There were initial reports of packages on the bridge, but none have been found, police said.

Police were checking other bridges, but all others remained open.

GRAPHIC: AP Photo pursuing

LOAD-DATE: March 28, 2003

[Black Agnes]

Maybe they were probing police 'defenses' and citizen awareness at this hour on a Saturday. Hmmm. more there than meets the eye.

[Trust but Verify]

I don't need anyone to tell me to shop. It's a natural thing for women:) But if you must know, I like to have all the information before I make any judgements on these things. Early reports are notoriously inaccurate.

[sheik yerbouty]

They do love whine!

[TLBSHOW]

The govt must really think we are a bunch of blind people!

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

The word is actually spelled "rappel".

[getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL]

These guys could have been "testing the waters"/doing a trial run...observing how the city responds, etc... Their goal: What can three Muslims on a bridge get away with in the future?

[Calpernia]

Rockefellar Center is full of protestors doing die in at the same time. This really leaves security holes.

[chigung]

Why did 3 Muslims cross the road...





... to blow up the other side.

[MinuteGal]

Hey, there's a lot of different ways to spread terror.

One would be to perform "suspicious" activities on a bridge, leave a "suspicious" bag or two laying around, pretend to be drunk, get nabbed, then get released because nothing really happened.

In the meantime, the traffic is snarled, business activities are hampered, the media spreads alarms, the public freaks out, the police and fire departments are tied down and vast amounts of taxpayers' money are expended.

Not bad results for the price of a six-pack found in a back-pack.

Watch for more of this. It obviously works.

Leni

[Mudboy Slim]

Howdy Cal...good to see ya on this fine day!!

FReegards...MUD

[watchwoman]

The story does sound a tad fishy to me. As I commented earlier, the story about the drunken prank at first sounded a bit too convenient.

But, the NYPD is the one issuing the drunken prank "verdict" - I'm sure they did breathalyzers and verified they had been drinking. As far as their "Middle Eastern" ethnicity...hey, this was New York after all, where WASPS are not exactly the majority.

[mhking]

What would you suggest? Moats? Guard towers? Razor wire?

Ask Plissken...

[John H K]

These guys could have been "testing the waters"/doing a trial run...observing how the city responds, etc...

People always like to cling to this concept when a possible terror incident turns out not to be a terror incident, and they're disappointed.

Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but it gets trotted out every single time.

[mhking]

alcohol may be involved, officers say

Hold muh beer 'n watch this?

[Tspud1]

Three stooges bring city to a halt

Mayor Mike: 'How stupid can you be?'

STAFF AND NEWS WIRE SERVICES


Friday was the day the Finest met the Dumbest.
Police shut down the Williamsburg Bridge for about 2-1/2 hours on Friday morning after bridge workers spotted three men in a restricted area. Turns out they weren’t terrorists, Mayor Bloomberg said, just three “stupid” men who were “sitting around drinking.”

But the report triggered a full-scale NYPD anti-terror response that snarled traffic into and out of Manhattan and in subways as well while Operation Atlas cops made security checks around town.

Early reports of the incident, plus inaccurate reports of a suspcious package on the Willy-B, shook world stock markets as wire services flashed the story around the world.

Two men from Massachusetts and a third from Rhode Island were being questioned at a nearby stationhouse Friday morning. The incident had no connection to terrorism, Bloomberg said Friday.

“What it really was was three guys who apparently got into someplace they shouldn’t. They were just sitting around drinking, so there was no threat,” Bloomberg said. “These three guys are in trouble and they certainly inconvenienced a lot of people.”


http://www.nydailynews.com/front/breaking_news/story/70838p-65849c.html

[oyez]

My local station says it was three drunks on a dare. Any other reports?